Current Concerns

11 February 2012 No 6 ISSN 1664-7963 Current Concerns PO Box CH-8044 Zurich Current Concerns Switzerland The international journal for independent thought, ethical standards, moral responsibility, Phone: +41 44 350 65 50 Fax: +41 44 350 65 51 and for the promotion and respect of public international law, human rights and humanitarian law E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.currentconcerns.ch English Edition of Zeit-Fragen European integration (Part 3) Making resound the “European orchestra” “Method Schaffner” as a key to understanding Switzerland’s success by Dr rer. publ. Werner Wüthrich In part 1 of this article we recognised the “method Monnet” as a key to the understanding of the euro-crisis (Current Con- cerns No.31 of 31 December 2011). In part 2 we got to know two different concepts of the “European integration”, on one hand the concept of the EEC respec- tively of today’s EU and on the other hand EFTA, the European Free Trade Associ- ation (Current Concerns No. 4 of 6 Feb- ruary 2012). We learned about the politicians who wanted to establish the “model” EFTA. In Switzerland these were the Fed- eral Councillors Hans Schaffner and Frie- drich Traugott Wahlen above all who were in charge of the “Europe dossier” with their closest co-workers Albert Weitnauer and Paul Jolles. Debating the two different concepts some éclats of different kinds occured. Thus, the ink on the EFTA’s con- tract of 1960 had hardly dried, when Great Britain wanted to switch over to the EEC and the other EFTA’s countries were about to follow half-heartedly in the wake of the great power. Today’s documents show that Federal councillor Hans Schaffner (on the left) and Federal councillor Willy Spühler the US government had pulled the strings (on the right), successor of Friedrich Traugott Wahlen at the Federal Department of in the background. The French president Foreign Affairs, during a meeting of the EFTA States in London in December 1966. – Charles de Gaulle thwarted the plan when With good negotiating skills and great sense of responsibility the best was achieved for by finishing the negotiations about the ac- the country. (picture keystone) cession of Great Britain on 14 January General Agreement on Tariff and protection of a healthy farming communi- 1963 with a “drum beat”. Only now EFTA Trade (GATT) ty and an efficient agriculture (Art. 31 to could begin with her real work. 23 countries founded GATT in 1947 with paragraph 3 BV). The agriculture law of the aim of gradually diminishing high 1951 protected the subsistence of the local A struggle about the “right” way of eco- duties and trade barriers worldwide. At farmers with customs and contingents. nomic integration could be observed not that time the USA, for example, charged Therefore, an accession was not possible. only in Europe. Another theatre was the sixty percent of customs for Swiss watch- Hans Schaffner’s task, at that time head GATT negotiations. Here too, there were es. The highly-developed industrial na- of the trade department, was to negoti- different ideas how the economic life be- tions of the West, agrarian countries like ate consent for an exception regulation. In tween the countries could be interlinked Australia and Brazil, developing countries 1958 he had almost reached this goal. Al- worldwide in a better way. Here, too, Hans and some communist countries belonged most all members of GATT agreed to take Schaffner with his co-workers were on the to the founding members. All members up Switzerland with a special regulation. front-line; after all, 45 percent of the ex- had equal rights and every country had However, the agrarian countries Australia ports of Switzerland were determined for one vote. The contracts could be changed and New Zealand put in a veto, and Swit- non-European countries. Here too, a sim- only if everybody agreed. zerland was accepted only as a provisional ilarly paradoxical situation as mentioned In the post-war period, Switzerland ex- member without the right to vote. above occured. Federal Councillor Hans ported – similar as today – about forty per- This did not prevent Hans Schaffner Schaffner headed the so-called Kennedy- cent of their products and services and was from co-operating actively. Thus he headed Round, the most important round of nego- interested in joining. It did not come to the conference of ministers of GATT from tiations of GATT after the Second World that. In 1947 the Swiss voters had agreed 16 to 21 May 1963, which put up the set War, although Switzerland was not at all on the new economic articles in the Fed- of rules for the so-called Kennedy-Round. a member of GATT. How was this strange eral Constitution. They obliged the fed- situation brought about? eral government to take measures for the continued on page 2 No 6 11 February 2012 Current Concerns Page 2 ”Making resound the …” trade was actually never carried out pre- bert Weitnauer had called it, was reacti- continued from page 1 cisely in GATT. This has not changed until vated again. This meant that the EFTA today. In the Doha-Round, WTO as a suc- countries were to be integrated bit by bit He succeeded in winning over the general cessor organisation of GATT has tried to into the EEC for political reasons follow- manager of GATT to support the full ac- transfer the rules of the global free trade on ing instructions by the USA. In 1973 both cession of Switzerland with a special regu- agriculture for eleven years and has failed. NATO members Great Britain and Den- lation. On 1 April 1966 the time had come: Since 1960, EFTA has kept to the rule of mark left EFTA and switched to the Eu- All members of GATT agreed. Hans Schaf- leaving the agricultural policy to the indi- ropean Community, the EC, as they had fner described this situation in the “Bun- vidual member countries. already planned in 1960. In 1995 both desblatt“, the official Journal of Switzer- Let us come back to the “European in- neutral countries Sweden and Austria fol- land, as follows: “Our partners consented tegration”. In this area, Hans Schaffner lowed. NATO member Norway did not to it partly because they did not want to ob- and his co-workers succeeded with their join as had been planned because the vot- struct the way to GATT for a country of the politics, too. It is striking how skilfully ers rejected the step. Nevertheless, it par- stature of Switzerland in spite of its firm- they moved in international circles and ticipated in EEA which intended the au- ly established peculiarity which did not fit how actively they helped to form the po- tomatic takeover of EU law and a close in no pattern. […] In this sense freedom, litical procedings as representatives of a connection to the EU, a step which was which was conceded to Switzerland for the neutral small state (although or just be- rejected by the voters in Switzerland in continuation of their agricultural policy is cause Switzerland was not a member of 1992. not unrestricted. The barriers arise from the the UN at that time). Therefore, in the middle of the 1990s, fact that our country leads no isolated ex- Switzerland was the last founder member istence, but is connected with its economic Free trade treaty of 1972 of EFTA that had not followed the “Jean environment in the minutest detail.” (Bun- After the veto of the French president de Monnet/USA-concept” and held on to desblatt 1966, p. 713) Gaulle seven EFTA countries took up the initial way of co-operating as a sov- Some months later Albert Weitnauer, their original plan again to create a broad ereign country in a liberal manner with leader of the Swiss negotiating delegation, foreign trade zone, which enclosed the like-minded people. Presumably, it did described the occurrences in GATT even countries of the European Community not happen accidentally that Switzerland more exactly in the ambassadors’ confer- as well as EFTA as equal participants, a was attacked massively by the USA only ence: “The general agreement in its exact project which had been prevented by the a short time afterwards. With a well-or- wording is observed by nobody, so to USA in the 1950s. In 1969 Hans Schaf- chestrated campaign and contrary to the speak. In the granting of exceptions or dis- fner withdrew from the Federal Council facts, Jewish circles accused the coun- pensations from the obligations of GATT for health reasons. Before however, he try of being chummy with Hitler during the organisation has always proceeded after had succeeded in strengthening the trea- the Second World War. This attack came the principle to act the stricter, the strong- ty system of EFTA during the last years at a convenient moment to the “Monnet’s er the respective country is in economic of his government participation. Paul networks” in the Swiss media and among terms. Developing countries enjoy a spe- Jolles, head of the integration office, was some politicians of Switzerland, because cial statute that relieves them from the ob- involved authoritatively when in 1972 the it offered them the chance to undermine ligation to comply with all of GATT’s reg- planned free trade treaty was concluded the feeling of independence and self-con- ulations. The highly developed countries on between the EC and the EFTA countries. fidence of the Swiss citizens so as to pave the other hand whose balance of payments For Hans Schaffner and his co-workers the way for an accession.

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